Iron Lake: Cork O'Connor, Book 1

Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger crafts this riveting tale about a small Minnesota town’s ex-sheriff who is having trouble retiring his badge. Cork O’Connor loses his job after being blamed for a tragedy on the local Anishinaabe Indian reservation. But he must set aside his personal demons when a young boy goes missing on the same day a judge commits suicide—and no one but O’Connor suspects foul play.

Manitou Canyon: Cork O'Connor Mystery Series

Since the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend all occurred in previous Novembers, Cork O'Connor has always considered it to be the cruelest of months. Yet his daughter has chosen this dismal time of year in which to marry, and Cork is understandably uneasy. His concern comes to a head when a man camping in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness goes missing. As the official search ends with no recovery in sight, Cork is asked by the man's family to stay on the case.

The Devil's Bed

When President Clay Dixon's father-in-law - a former vice president - is injured in a farming accident, First Lady Kate Dixon returns to Minnesota to be at his side. Assigned to protect her, Secret Service agent Bo Thorsen soon falls under Kate's spell. He also suspects the accident is part of a trap set for Kate by David Moses, an escaped mental patient who once loved her. What Bo and Moses don't realize is that they're caught in a web of deadly intrigue spun by a seemingly insignificant bureaucratic department within the federal government.

The Royal Wulff Murders

A local fisherman lands more than he bargained for when he pulls a dead body out of Montana’s Madison River. Sheriff Martha Ettinger takes on the case and soon comes into the company of reclusive artist, Montana newcomer, and ex-PI Sean Stranahan. After teaming up to investigate, Martha and Sean soon uncover evidence that the murder has ties to one of the state’s biggest industries: fly fishing.

Open Season: A Joe Pickett Novel

C.J. Box’s Open Season is a rare debut mystery that “immediately sets itself apart from the crowd” (Booklist). This thrilling novel stars Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming who finds his life in danger after he looks into a murder investigation and discovers a conspiracy involving an oil pipeline and its threat to an endangered species.

An Obvious Fact

In the midst of the largest motorcycle rally in the world, a young biker is run off the road and ends up in critical condition. When Sheriff Walt Longmire and his good friend, Henry Standing Bear, are called to Hulett, Wyoming - the nearest town to America's first national monument, Devils Tower - to investigate, things start getting complicated.

Buffalo Jump Blues

In the wake of Fourth of July fireworks in Montana's Madison Valley, Hyalite County sheriff Martha Ettinger and Deputy Sheriff Harold Little Feather investigate a horrific scene at the Palisades cliffs, where a herd of bison have fallen to their deaths. Victims of blind panic caused by the pyrotechnics, or a ritualistic hunting practice dating back thousands of years? The person who would know is beyond asking, an Indian man found dead among the bison, his leg pierced by an arrow.

Crazy Mountain Kiss: A Sean Stranahan Mystery

It's April, but there's still snow on the Montana mountains the day a member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club finds a Santa hat in the chimney of his rented cabin. With the flue clogged, and desperate to make a fire, he climbs up to the roof only to find the body of a teenage girl wedged into the chimney.

Escape Clause: A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 9

The first storm comes from, of all places, the Minnesota zoo. Two large and very rare Amur tigers have vanished from their cage, and authorities are worried sick that they've been stolen for their body parts. Traditional Chinese medicine prizes those parts for home remedies, and people will do extreme things to get what they need. Some of them are a great deal more extreme than others - as Virgil is about to find out.

Back of Beyond

Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who’s fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that....

Ordinary Grace

Award-winning author William Kent Krueger has gained an immense fan base for his Cork O’Connor series. In Ordinary Grace, Krueger looks back to 1961 to tell the story of Frank Drum, a boy on the cusp of manhood. A typical 13-year-old with a strong, loving family, Frank is devastated when a tragedy forces him to face the unthinkable - and to take on a maturity beyond his years.

Widowmaker: A Novel

When a mysterious woman in distress appears outside his home, Mike Bowditch has no clue she is about to blow his world apart. Amber Langstrom is beautiful, damaged, and hiding a secret with a link to his past. She claims her son, Adam, is a wrongfully convicted sex offender who has vanished from a brutal work camp in the high timber around the Widowmaker Ski Resort. She also claims that Adam Langstrom is the illegitimate son of Jack Bowditch, Mike's dead and diabolical father. He is the half brother Mike never knew he had.

Publisher's Summary

During a houseboat vacation on the remote Lake of the Woods, a violent gale sweeps through unexpectedly, stranding Cork and his daughter, Jenny, on a devastated island where the wind has ushered in a force far darker and more deadly than any storm.

Amid the wreckage, Cork and Jenny discover an old trapper’s cabin where they find the body of a teenage girl. She wasn’t killed by the storm, however; she’d been bound and tortured before she died. Whimpering sounds coming from outside the cabin lead them to a tangle of branches toppled by the vicious winds. Underneath the debris, they find a baby boy, hungry and dehydrated, but still very much alive.

Powerful forces intent on securing the child pursue them to the isolated Northwest Angle, where it’s impossible to tell who among the residents is in league with the devil. Cork understands that to save his family he must solve the puzzle of this mysterious child whom death follows like a shadow.

“Part adventure, part mystery, and all knockout thriller” (Booklist), Northwest Angle is a dynamic addition to William Kent Krueger’s critically acclaimed, award-winning series.

What the Critics Say

“A complex crime novel that contains meditations on the difficulties of loving and the paths we take to reach God, Northwest Angle has everything you want in a great read.” (Charlaine Harris, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Dead Reckoning)

I love the William Kent Kreuger books, if for no other reason that the setting is nearly home territory for me. As a kid, I spent summers in this area, so I can picture most of the places he mentions. One thing surprised me -- at a couple of points, Kreuger has his characters swimming for hour after hour in Lake of the Woods. Seems to me that even in summer, that water was pretty darn cold. I cede to his greater knowledge, I guess, over my memory. But really? Could all these people, non-professional swimmers -- not trained, not the kind of people who regularly challenge the English Channel or San Francisco Bay -- really be able to spend hours in that water without ill effects? I wonder about that.

Then too, usually these books are totally engrossing, I'm always completely unable to find a place to stop. This one wasn't that, so much. A different kind of book. It had its moments, certainly, but there was more emphasis here on the nature of love and belonging than there was on creating a thriller. Or so I thought. Still, a good book -- Christians and lovers of Indian lore will love it, certainly.

Others have criticized the narrator -- and I have to say I sympathize a bit. Certainly the attempt at a Minnesota accent went flat, and I cringed all the way through at his odd pronounciation of the word "baby", a word that seemed to appear in darn near every sentence. (Who can possibly manage to mispronounce that word?) By the end, though, I'd come to terms with it.

All in all, I'd buy it again. Not quite a standard Kreuger, but plenty fine, anyway.

I had lots of listening opportunities this summer while painting our house (exterior). While it was a bit of a shift to get used to Buck Shirner at the point in the series where the narrator changed - not sure what book that was now. I think this was only because I was used to David Chandler. I didn't find Buck's voice to be grating, rushed or irritating in any way. Northwest Angle was well done and I am looking forward to the next in the series.

Wonderful story. Kept me on the edge. Had to marathon it, I was so eager to find out what happened next! Captivating as always!

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

However...Bucks voice is great for Cork. I imagine Cork sounding like that, but not so much for the other characters. I don't think Buck has enough variation capability to pull off the other characters, especially women. His voice is a great one if you're looking for gruff, but he doesn't seem to be able to take the gruff out when necessary.

This is one of my favorite series ever! Krueger simply cannot be beat for instant suspense and gripping stories with settings that are vividly described and intertwined with the plots. Cork O'Connor is our hero, a part-Ojibwe ex-lawman with great dedication to his heritage, his family, and to justice. He sometimes gets a bit preachy, but this is so far forgivable because of his basic decentness and the appeal of the many other characters in the tales.

These are definitely story-driven books. If you want complicated, deep, psychologically complex characters and plots, look elsewhere. But, among thriller series, the Krueger books stand out for their well-crafted suspense and action, their excellent sense of place, and a respectful representation of the Ojibwe culture.

"Northwest Angle" is a worthy addition. It hooks you fast with a sudden storm and a crackerjack story. The mystery is intriguing and sustained throughout. I have grown really fond of the narration by Buck Schimer, whose gravelly voice seems perfect for the genre. Overall, a really engaging listen!

The plot was complex without being contrived and kept me on the edge of my chair. The dangers, both natural and otherwise, in the very first chapters were harrowing. Having gotten to know the O'Conner family in other books, it was refreshing to have them all together again and having them all at risk added to the tension. I could not put it down.

I just really like the family, their humanity, weaknesses, and strengths. Dangerous enough to keep me listening and trick enough to keep me guessing.

What other book might you compare Northwest Angle to and why?

Intensity wise about Robert Crais, lighter than John Standord.

What about Buck Schirner’s performance did you like?

Mr. Schimer's inflections. I often find narrator's personification of speaking voices for children, woman, or the elderly = annoying about half way through the listen. Not so with Mr. Schirner, thank you.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No. I like my stories to last several days.

Any additional comments?

Great series, recommend start at the beginning, although not essential. Its fun having reference to prior stories, like - oh yeah I remember that, and thankfully Mr. Kruger does not retell his prior stories in the current adventure.

William Kent Krueger shows sensitive insight into the many qualities we could learn from the "first" Americans. The lessons surround and are surrounded by a first rate story which combines excitement fierce love of many kinds and a thriller that engages right to the end.highly recommended, excellent narration.

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